October 2'J, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



387 



with thip, otherwise both ■will suffer. Scale on Pear trees may 

 be removed by syringing them with water at 1.50" in which 

 soft soap has been dissolved; or the water may be obtained in 

 quantity from the laundry. This will not be quite so strong, 

 but it costs nothing except the labour of canying it to the 

 trees, and a few more applications will be quite as effectual. 



As soon as possible we shall look over the wall trees, and any 

 pruning retiuired will "e done as soon as possible; afterwards 

 any branches that require nailing will be looked to. Nothing 

 has a moie untidy appearance about a kitchen garden than 

 branches hanging loosely from the walls, and the trees un- 

 pruned through the winter months. Of course, gardeners are 

 the creatures of circumstances, and cannot do this or that work 

 exactly at the time it ought to be done. At the same time let 

 all pruning be early ; the most of ours is performed in sum- 

 mer and autumn, excepting Gooseberry and Currant bushes, 

 which are pruned in mild weather during the winter mouths. 

 It is not nncommoa to see gardeners sent to prune fruit trees 

 and hushes during severe frost, but this is bad management 

 and ought not to be persisted in. All wheeling of manure, i'C, 

 and trenching, may be done when the weather is cold. 



FBCIT .iND FOBCINO HOUSES. 



Vineries. — A sharp look-out is kept for mouldy berries in the 

 late bouses ; much damage results from just one day's in- 

 attention to this particular, the mould spreads so rapidly. The 

 lat-ral growths were so thick on some of the canes that light 

 and air could not circulate freely amongst the leaves. These 

 have been removed with advantage to the fruit, which is now 

 hanging. 



Preparing Early Houses for Forcing. — It would be well if 

 the inside of the houses could be painted every second year. 

 This can seldom be done, but the walls may be limewashed 

 and the hot-water pipes painted at but little expense. One 

 pound of flowers of sulphur may be added to each pailful of the 

 wash. House spiders are a considerable nuisance in vineries; 

 they retire into snug corners during the winter months, and in 

 summer the young ones get into the centre of a bunch of Grapes 

 and work their webs amongst the berries. 



Many persons may be making Vine borders preparatory to 

 planting the Vines. We should not like to create unnecessary 

 alarm, but now that the FhtjUoxera vastatrix has become es- 

 tablished in the country, it would be well to guard against its 

 introduction into our gardens. Of course, no nurseryman would 

 send out plants with this terrible insect upon them, nor would 

 any gardener knowingly send eyes or plants to his friends if 

 it were in his garden ; but by way of precaution, our advice is 

 to turn all plants out of their pots as soon as they are received, 

 wash the soil from the roots, then soak the plants overhead in 

 water for two days. This treatment would not be likely to 

 injure the Vines, and would effectually dispose of the Phyl- 

 loxera. The plants after being taken out of the water might be 

 planted-out at once, or, if necessary, he repotted. 



We might just allude to pruning Vines. The usual method is 

 that called the short-spur system. One, two, or three rods are 

 trained-up from one plant at a distance of not less than 2 feet 

 6 inches from each other, and the spurs are about 18 inches 

 apart. The side branches are spurred-back to a good eye at 

 pruning time, and under this treatment the same rods will con- 

 tinue in bearing for twenty years or longer. It is not desirable 

 to allow the rods to become so old, as young ones can be gradu- 

 ally trained-np in their place. Some varieties of Vines do not 

 fruit freely if trained on this system. Such are that fine old 

 variety Royal Muscadine, Golden Champion, Canon Hall Muscat, 

 &0. Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, Lady Downe's, 

 and Mrs. Pince's Muscat may be spurred-in closely and will 

 bear at every branch. If the shy-bearing varieties are trained 

 on the spur system, the spurs must be left with two or even 

 three good eyes. 



Figs. — In most large establishments a house is specially de- 

 voted to the culture of this fruit, and we have seen Figs grown 

 in large lean-to's and half-span houses of small size. They do 

 well in either planted out in turfy loam not over-rich. It is 

 best under such circumstances to train them to wires as Vines 

 or Peach trees are trained. We cultivate a few in pots, and 

 grow them in any houses where the foliage can be exposed to 

 the light ; the trees will grow freely enough in the shade, and 

 will also bear fruit, but it is of very poor flavour. Grown in 

 heat and exposed to the light near the glass. Figs can be ob- 

 tained of the most delicious flavour. 'The potting material 

 should be rich, turfy loam four parts, one part rotted manure, 

 and a few crushed bones added to it. Our trees are now being 

 potted, healthy young trees abundantly furnished with roots 

 are shifted into larger pots than they were in ; older trees that 

 have gone to the utmost limit the size of our houses will allow, 

 are shifted into pots of the same size as those in which they 

 had been growing, after the ball of earth and roots has been 

 reduced suiSciently to allow of at least an inch of fresh loam all 

 round the sides of the pot. 



Orange trees in pots are now ripening-oil the fruit, and it ia 

 very desirable to keep the leaves clean. Brown scale has been 



troublesome, but after sponging the trees well the enemy has 

 been kept at bay by syringing very freely twice daily.^ 

 J. Douglas. 



PROVINCIAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



[Secretaries will oblige us by informing us of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. Although we cannot report 

 them fully, we shall readily note anything especially excellent, 

 and we wish for information on such specialities to be sent 

 to us.] 



NOVEMBER. ; NOVEMBER. 



Jersey 11 , R. H. S. of Ireland 26 



Bury St. Edmunds (ChryBauthe- 



mums) 17audl8| DECEMBER. 



Cambridgeshire 19 1 York 1,2, and 3 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



"W". Chater, Saffron Walden. — Catalogue of Hollyhocks and 

 Boses. 



J. A. Fraser, Linslade Nurseries, Leighton Buzzard. — Cata- 

 logue of Flower Boots. 



G-. Prince, 14, Market Street, Oxford. — Descriptive Catalogue 

 of Boses Grown on the Cultivated Seedling Briar. 



H. Lane & Son, Great Berkhampstead. — Descriptive Catalogue 

 of Boses, Fruit TreeSj American Plants, Co7iiferSj Trees, 

 Shrubs, ti'C. 



Eugene Verdier fila ain(!s 72, Bue Dunois, Gare d'lvry, Paris, 

 — Gladioli and other Bulbs, BoseSj Pceonies, d-c. — Bosiers 

 Nouveaux, 1875. 



Jeau Verschaffelt, 134, Faubourg de Bruxelles, Ghent. — Sup- 

 pUment et Extrait du Catalogue des Planfes. 



Ewing&Co, Eaton and Cringleford, Norwich. — Bose Cata- 

 logue. — General Nurseiy Catalogue. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to "The Publisher.'* Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questions at once. AU articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Gardeners' Chronicle (A. T. Wnlrrs). — We are in no way connected with, 

 that paper. The proprietors have added our title to the original one of their 

 own, and it causes the miatakea you meutiou. 



Books (F- B. Tunvr). — "British Ferns, Popularly Described." Yoa caa 

 have it from our office by post if you enclose 3^. 8J. with your address. 



Gardening Under Difficulties (J. E. TF.).— The soil of your unfortu- 

 nate garden need not be changed, an annual dressing of manure being all 

 tha^ is necessary to reinvigorate it for the crop of each successive season. 

 "With regard to the necessity for protecting your crops from cats, we must 

 refer you to your own experience of the extent and form of their depredations. 

 Some special notes treating fully upon your case are in preparaiion. 



Deformed Cucumbers {J. S.). — We believe that crooked Cucumbers 

 and enlarged ends with constricted micldles are caused usually by a deficient 

 supply of sap. Fewer fruits on each plant aud tepid weak manure water to the 

 roots once a- week would probably prevent the deformity. Gumming of the 

 fruit is occasioned in the same way, and by the bottom heat being too low. 



AaiARANTHus Hendersoni. — Messrs. Heuder & Son, Bedford Nursery, 

 Plymouth, write to ask if that is not a misnomer. They say that they raised 

 the variety, and if so it certainly ought to be named Amaranthus Henderi. 



Zonal Geraniums. — *' W." says, on p. 837, " Never apply liquid manure 

 to a plant when dry; water it first with clear water. Mauy hundreds of 

 plants are spoiled by neglect of this little precaution." Thi,^ is new to me as 

 well as to others. Will "AV.," therefore, oblige us by stating on what his 

 opiuion is based, whether practical observation or theory ? If the latter, I 

 should feel obliged by an explanation. — J. Hardie. 



Hazel Ncts Failure {Beta). — The failure in Westmorelaud and Camber- 

 land must have been caused by ungeuial weather during the time of fertilisa- 

 tion. In the south of England the Nut crop ia very abundant. 



Centaurea argentea Wintering [Dublin). — It will not winter in the 

 open ground, nor safely in a frame unless frost bo excluded, and the plants 

 have but little water, giving only sufficient to keep them from flagging. 



Ivv Cuttings— Seedling Briar Stocks (H. G. O.).— Ivy cuttings are 

 best put-in in September, or it may be done now in a sheltered shady border in 

 light rich soil, in rows 6 inches apart and 3 inches asunder, two-thirdaof their 

 length being inserted in the soil. The cuttings should be about 9 inches lung for 

 the free-giuwing sorts, and 6 inches for the small; select the growths of the 

 current year, which may either be the points or the shoots cut into lengths, 

 cutting transversely below a joint, and removing the leaves, not the eyes, 

 from the base upwards; the cuttings are to be placed in the soil, making the 

 8nU moderately firm aiouud them. The seedling Briar stocks are budded just 

 above the setting-on of the roots, close to the soil, budding being of course 

 pra:tised higher up the stem if half-standards or standards are required. The 

 seedlings vary in the time of being fit to bud, but for dwarfs generally in Jaly 



